Ad Astra Observatory

On mounting “big” scopes
I always thought that 12 or 12.5 would be what would finally end me buying things. Getting above that size starts to put a serious strain on any GEM style mount, based on the weight of the glass alone.

Above that, either an EQ platform (shoot me, please) or a Dob + field rotator (not a bad idea) or something big, heavy, and permanent (think: horseshoe) needs to be done.

If I can keep the 13.1 stiff and light, I think it will keep me busy for a long time. And if I can’t, I may sell it all and switch to visual astronomy and big dobs. (:

Worried about guiding a heavier scope on the G-11
I think that doing the thing as a truss will cut down enough weight that I’m going to be right about the same as I am now. The additional weight of the glass is made up for by the loss of the metal tube and tube rings.

Truss design — might be onto something

I hope that I am. One way or another, it’s my first “big” scope. It will be fun to look through, whether that’s with a camera or an eyeball.

And, since I have an observatory, once it’s up, it’s up. I mean, like I said, I’m hoping to get the thing in well
under 30#, so that’s not too much of a back breaker. But it will be nice to get it mounted up once and then forget about lifting it for awhile…

Getting the project underway

Mirror will be here in a week.
I need to source some Baltic Birch. I know where to get aluminum tubes locally. I already have basically everything else I need to do the build already. I was going to build out my self-ground 8” f/6 into a truss,
but found out that it’s not up to my exacting standards, so I left it.

But that left me with a lot of tube connection hardware, etc. so I just have to get the mirror, weigh it, and do a few cuts on a chunk of spendy plywood, and all shall be well.